Container for ammunition or other irregularly shaped articles



Nov. 1, 1949 R. R. HuTcHlsoN CONTAINER FOR AMMUNITION OB. OTHER IRREGULARLY SHAPED ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 2, 1947 Nov. 1, 1949 R. R. HUTcHlsoN 2,486,949

CONTAINER FOR AMMUNITION OR OTHER I IRREGULARLY SHAPED ARTICLES Filed July 2,1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 4- 24 T Zagz Nov. 1, 1949 R. R. HU'rcHlsoN CONTAINER FOR AMMUNITION OR OTHER IRREGULARLY SHAPED ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 2, 1947 Patented Nov. l, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE CONTAINER FOR AMMUNITION R OTHER IRREGULARLY SHAPED ARTICLES Robert R. Hutchison, Birmingham, Mich., as-

sgnor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 2, 1947, Serial No. 758,648

7 Claims. (Cl. 2063) chests, a serious problem is presented by the irregular shape of the ammunition which is usually of much greater diameter at or near its base than at its nose. It is de-sirable that the ammunition be placed in regular rows within the box, and when the box is used to supply ammunition directly to a gun, it is essential that a regular disposition of the ammunition within the box is obtained so that it may be fed smoothly to the gun without becoming obstructed in its movement from the box to the gun.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of a container or chest in which ammunition or the like may be readily placed in regular rows and smoothly and easily removed therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention fwill be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein like characters of reference denote like parts throughout,

Figure l is a side elevation of an ammunition chest embodying the present invention,

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the chest, parts being broken away,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on the line 5--5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 6--5 of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View on the line 'I-l of Figure l, and,

Figure 8 is a detail fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating the inoperative or folded position of one of the shelves.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the chest comprises front and rear side walls l0 and bottom wall I I integrally formed and corrugated between their ends as at I2 for structural strength. The walls I0 and I I are backed up interiorly of the chest by a wall liner I3 which does not have corrugations corresponding to corrugations I2 on the outer walls. The ends of the chest are formed by flanged outer end members I4 corrugated as at I5 and receiving the end portions of the side and bottom walls I0 and II. An inner end wall liner I6 is disposed within each end member I4 and abuts against the ends .of walls I0 and Il, being spaced a substantial distance from the main portion of the end mem- 2 bers but engaging the corrugated and recessed V'portions thereof. Suitable pivoted handles I'I are disposed in recessed area-s near the upper portions of end members I4 and in their inoperative 5 position shown in Figures 2 and 5 are disposed completely within their recesses.

A lid or top cover I8 is formed with depending flanges I9 and is provided with end sections 20 which are hinged at 2| to permit raising of the l0 -end sections 20 to give access to the end portions of the chest when the main or central portion of lid I8 is in closed position, as indicated in dotted ,lines at the left of Figure l.. The lid I8 is hinged .at 22, at a point spaced below the top of the rear chest Wall, to permit raising of the lid I9 with its end sections 2E. Suitable latches 23 on the front side wall Ill engage hook members or the like 24 on the flanged portion I9 of the lid to fasten the -lid in closed position. The latches 23 are prefer- 30 -ably of the type which exert a downward pressure -on the lid hook members to firmly hold the lid in Aclosed position, and are preferably three in num- Aber to engage the main or central section of the lid and each end section 20, as shown in Figures 25 1 and 4.

Because of the irregular shape of ammunition, the inner wall liner I3 is provided at the bottom 'of the chest with a relatively low rib or raised corrugation 25 adjacent to, but spaced from the rear side wall of the chest. The rib 25 is adapted to engage and -support the rear portions of the lower tier of ammunition to be received in the chest, and a relatively high rib or raised corrugati-on 26 is disposed adjacent to, but spaced from, the front r`side wall of the chest to support the nose end-s of the chest with space between the ribs to accommodate the links or belt. However, if the next row of ammunition is placed upon the lower tier faced in the same direction, such row of ammunition will assume an inclined position in the chest,

and the next succeeding row will assume a more linclined position, so that where the ammunition is linked together in belts or links it cannot be vpulled smoothly out of the chest, as for feeding to an` automatic gun. In order to support the tiers of ammunition above the lower tier in a horizontal position, it is proposed to provide folding lshelves or supports on the front side wall of the lchest to be engaged by the smaller nose ends of the ammunition, illustrated in dotted lines at 31 5 5 in Figure 7.

As illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, a series of vertically spaced, longitudinally extend- ,ing shelves 21 are pivotally disposed on the forward side wall of the chest. The corrugations I2 on the forward wall I0 are muchdeeper than those on the rear side wall, and produce horizontal, longitudinally extending channels 28 between the corrugations. Shelf supporting pivot shafts 29 are disposed within the channels 28 and are journaled in the end wall liners I6, the ends ofthe shafts 29 extending into the space between the end members I4 and I6 at the left end of the chest as viewed in Figure 1 and through both members I4 and I6 at the right end of the chest into recesses 30 in the right end member I4.

The portion of the chest liner I3 which extends up the front wall I0 is separated or slotted adjacent the shafts 29, as indicated at 3l, to accommodate thevshelves 2l which are rigidly secured to the pivot shafts 29 and extend through the slots 3|. In the lowered position of the shelves shown in Figure 3, the shelves rest upon the bottom of slots 3|. The portions of liner I3 imme- 'diately above the slots are offset to receive the shelves in their inoperative position so that the folded shelves will be substantially flush with the remainder of the front wall liner. The shelves 21 may be secured to the shafts 29 in any suitable manner suchY as welding or riveting, and are shown as turned over at their ends to form integral sleeves to snugly receive the pivot shafts.

The ends of the shafts 29 which are at the left side of Figure l are provided interiorly of the space between end members I4 and I6 with generally radially extending abutments or cranks 32, shown as provided with twisted or angular end portions 33 projecting beyond the ends of the shafts and provided with openings to receive the lower hooked ends of coil springs 34. The upper hooked ends of the springs engage suitable notches in flanged ears 35 secured to or preferably struck up from a flanged edge portion I6 of the end liner I6, or a. separate metal strip supplied for that purpose.

By reference to Figure 7, in which the two shelves illustrated are in different positions, it will be seen that the angle of the cranks 32-33 is such that in the raised position of the shelf shown at the top of Figure '7 the lower hooked end of the spring 34 is on one side of the axis of shaft 29 while in the lowered operative position of the shelf shown at the bottom of Figure '7, the lower hooked end of the spring 34 is on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft. Consequently the tension of spring 34, in the raised position of the shelf, is exerted in a direction to rmly hold the shelf in its raised position, whereas in the lowered position of the shelf the spring tension is exerted in a direction to rmly hold the shelf in its lowered position. In moving the shelf from either position to the other, the spring tension causes the shelf to snap over to its other position as soon as the abutment 33 and hooked spring vend pass over the dead center position. This movement of the spring is permitted because of the angular portion 33 of the abutment extending beyond the end of shaft 29.

The ends of shafts 29 opposite to abutments 33 and springs 34 extend through. the opposite end of the chest into recesses 30 in the chest end wall, and suitable finger cranks or handles 36 are rigidly secured to the shaft ends. The recesses 30 are suciently large to permitr movement of handles 36 from one position to the other position. The handles 36 may be used to flip the shelves from one position to the other, withthe assistance of the springs 34.

The chest illustrated in the drawings has particular utility when used with belted or linked ammunition. When loading the chest, the lid 4 I8 is raised about hinge 22 and the shelves are moved to their raised position illustrated at the top of Figure 7 and in dotted lines inFigure 3. A

The belted ammunition is then arranged upon the ribs 25 and 26 with the pointed nose ends of the projectiles resting on the larger rib 26. When the lower tier of ammunition is in position, the lowest shelf is flipped down to its operative position and the second tier of ammunition is arranged with the nose ends of the projectiles resting upon the shelf and with the larger base ends of the ammunition resting upon the lower tier. The next shelf is then lowered to receive the third tier, and so on until the chest is filled, The lid IB is then closed and latched in position.

When it is desired to remove the ammunition from the chest, or to feed it to a'gun, the lid I8 or one end section 2l)v of the lid may be unlatched and raised, and the belted ammunition led through the open top of the chest and inserted into the gun. The ammunition may then be pulled from the chest as it is used. When one tier has been removed from the chest, the shelf which supported it will be raised to its inoperative position, either manually or by pressure of the next lower tier of ammunition against its underside, assisted by the tension of shelf spring 34.

The ribs 25 and 26 and the series of movable shelves 2? support the ammunition in horizontal tiers and permit smooth and easy withdrawal of the ammunition from the chest with no danger of the ammunition being obstructed as it is withdrawn. Due to the ease with which the shelves may be moved from one position to the other, no difficulty is experienced in either loading or unloading the chest. The shelves do not project into the chest in their folded position, the abutments 32 Iand springs 34 are inside of the end members and cranks 36 are outside of the chest so that there are no obstructions within the lchest to interfere with smooth loading or unloading of the chest.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape, arrangement and selection of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

l. In a container of the character described having a side wall and spaced parallel end walls, said side wall being provided with a series of vertically spalced parallel longitudinally extending recesses, a shaft arranged in each recess and extending longitudinally thereof each said shaft being journaled in said end walls, one end of each shaft projecting through an end wall, a shelf fixed on each shaft and selectively movable to an operative position at an angle to said side Wall and toy a folded position along said wall, means to resiliently hold said shelves in either position and means fixed on the end of each shaft externally of said container to turn the shaft Iand thereby move the corresponding shaft between said positions.

2. In an ammunition container having a side wall, a series of spaced parallel shafts extending longitudinally of said wall and journialed for independent rotation, a shelf |carried by each shaft and selectively movable therewith to an operative position at an angle to said side wall and to ian inoperative position alongside said wall, means 'externally of said container to independently container, said crank in one position of the shelf being dispo-sed on one side of the axis of the shaft and in the other position of the shelf being disposed on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft, and a spring connecting said crank to the container at a point on the side of the shaft diametrically opposite to the end of said crank, whereby the resilient member will urge the shaft and shelf to either of the selected shelf positions.

3. An ammunition chest for the reception o-f belted ammunition, said chest having bottom, side and end Walls, a series of vertically spaced parallel shafts extending longitudinally of the chest in proximity to one of the side walls, said shafts being journaled in the end walls for independent rotation, a shelf secured to each shaft :and selectively movable therewith between an operative position at right angles to said side wall and a folded upwardly-extending position parallel with said wall, manually operated means connected to said shafts externally of said chest to independently rotate the shafts, a radially projecting |crank carried by each shaft within said chest, said crank in one position of its shelf being disposed on one side of the @axis of the shaft and in the other position of the shelf being disposed on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft, and a spring connecting the end of said crank to the chest at a point on the side of the shaft diametrically opposite to the crank, whereby the resilient member will urge the shaft and its shelf to either of the selected shelf positions in response to manual turning of said shaft.

4. A chest for belted ammunition, said chest having bottom and side walls and end members connecting said bottom and side walls, at least one of said end members comprising spaced walls, one of said side walls being corrugated to provide a series of spaced longitudinally extending channels interiorly of the chest, shafts disposed in some of said channels and journaled in the end members for independent rotation, a shelf car-\ ried by each shaft and selectively movable therewith to an operative position at an angle to said side wall and to an inoperative position against said wall, manually operated means accessible from outside the chest and connected to said shafts .to independently rotate the shafts, a radially projecting abutment carried by the end of each shaft and located between the walls of said double-walled end member, said abutment having an angular end portion extending beyond the end of the shaft, said abutment in one position of the shelf being disposed on one side of the axis of the shaft and in the other position of the shelf being disposed on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft, and a coil spring connected at one end to the angular portion of the abutment and at the other end to the chest at a point on the side of the shaft opposite to the abutment, whereby the coil spring will urge the shaft and its shelf to either of the shelf positions.

5. A chest for belted ammunition, said chest having bottom and side walls and end members connecting said bottom and side Walls, at least one of said end members comprising spaced walls, one of said side walls being corrugated to provide a series of spaced longitudinally extending channels interiorly of the chest, shafts disposed in some of said channels and journaled in the end members for independent rotation, a shelf carried by each shaft and selectively movable therewith to an operative position at an angle to said side wall and to an inoperative position against said wall, manually operated means accessible from outside the chest and connected to said shafts to independently rotate the shafts, a radially projecting abutment carried by the end of each shaft and located between 4the walls of said double-walled end member, said abutment having an angular end portion extending beyond the end of the shaft, said abutment in one position of the shelf being disposed on one side of the axis of the shaft and in the other position of the shelf being disposed on the opposite side of the axis of the shaft, and a coil spring connected at one end to the angular portion of the abutment and at the other end to the Ychest at a point on the side of the shaft opposite to the abutment, whereby the coil spring will urge the shaft and its shelf to either of the shelf positions, the bottom wall of the chest being provided with an elevated longitudinally extending supporting surface adjacent the channeled side wall of the chest, whereby the nose ends of ammunition arranged in said chest will be supported b-y said elevated surface and said shelves to maintain such ammunition in a level position within the chest.

6. In a container having a bottom, a side wall, and end walls, a shaft journalled at its ends in said end walls adjacent and parallel with said side wall, said shaft having one end projecting through one of said ends, a shelf fixed to said shaft within said container, means attached to the other end of said shaft to maintain said i shelf in a first position parallel with said bottom or a second position parallel with said side wall, and manually operable means xed to said projecting end of said shaft to move said shelf between said rst and second positions.

7. A chest for storing cartridges having ends of different diameters, said chest comprising a bottom, side and end walls, said bottom having a pair of ribs adjacent the respective side walls to support the respective ends of a rst layer of said cartridges, said ribs being of different heights to thereby support cartridges thereon with their axes parallel with said bottom, and a folding shelf journaled adjacent an end wall and parallel with said bottom and above said rib of greater height, said shelf when outwardly extended, supporting the ends of lesser diameter only of a second layer of cartridges so that said second layer of cartridges are in position parallel with said first layer when the ends of larger diameter of said second layer rest upon the corresponding ends of the cartridges of the first layer.

ROBERT R. HUTCHISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 133,961 Allen Dec. 17, 1872 1,076,378 Lawrence and White Oct. 21, 1913 2,325,648 Bar-ton Aug. 3, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 651,136 France s., Oct. 8, 1928 

